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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tube — a container
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. pop — soda
  6. tube — the underground
  7. staff — employees
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. staff — employees
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lie — to recline
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com